Spraying devices



Aug. 1,1951 l.. J. vALols ET Az.

SPRAYING DEVICES Filed July 16, 195? INVENTOR.

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United States Patent 2,994,482 SPRAYING DEVICES Louis J. Valois, Pleasantville, vand Robert A. Rothman, Bronx, N.Y., assignors to Carl Munters & Company, Stockholm, Sweden, a partnership Filed July 16, 1957, Ser. No. 672,225 4 Claims. (Cl. 239-117) This invention relates to improvements in liquid-distributing systems for gas and liquid contact apparatus, and more particularly to a spraying device for employment in a cooling tower for the purpose of cooling water by evaporative methods.

The type of cooling tower to which the present spraying device is applicable is one which generally utilizes a packing or so-called lill composed of spaced wettable elements which are sprayed with water or other suitable liquid by a liquid-distributing means situated above the packing. The water or other liquid thus sprayed by the apparatus of the present invention flows by gravity down- Wardly through the packing where it comes into direct contact with air or other gaseous media which ows through the packing by natural draft or by induced or forced draft. The effectiveness of the packing is depend ent upon the uniform distribution of the water or other fluid over the wettable elements, the contact surface of which will thus obtain a maximum heat transfer.

Among the objects of the present invention is to provide a spraying device which will uniformly distribute the water or other fluid over the surface of the packing to insure complete and uniform distribution of the water even when water pressure is low.

Another object of the invention is to provide a spraying device of this character which will enable the water to be distributed over surfaces of Various shapes, such as round, rectangular or any other shapes.

A further object is to provide a device which will distribute a fluid evenly and progressively along a longitudinal path by means of rotational power.

A still further object is to provide a spraying device of simplified construction which will require less pres- Sure in comparison with the conventional nozzles heretofore used.

Still another object is to eliminate the necessity for spray eliminators normally required for conventional applications.

These and other objects will become more apparent from the following description and drawing, in which like reference characters denote like parts throughout the several views. Itis to be expressly understood, however, that the drawing is merely for the purpose of illustration, and is not to be considered as a definition of the limits of the invention, reference being had for this purpose, to the annexed claims.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein an illustrative embodiment of the invention is disclosed,

FIG. 1 is an elevational view, with parts in section, of a spraying device constructed according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view, with parts in section, of a portion of the spraying tubes;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view, taken substantially on the line 3 3 of FIG. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 4 is a view looking at the under side of the inner spraying tube to show the lengthy slot therein;

FIG. 5 is a view showing how the spiral line of holes would appear in the outer tube, if said tube was split longitudinally and then flattened out;

FIG. 6 is a transverse sectional view through another embodiment of the invention, and

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view through a por- Patented Aug. l., 1961 tion of the compressible material embodied in the structure of FIG. 6.

Referring to the drawing, 1 indicates part of a casing or housing, within which the driving mechanism for the outer spraying tube or cylinder is contained. Said mechanism includes an electric motor 2 having a rotative shaft 3, carrying a pulley 4. A belt 5- extends around the pulley 4 and extends to and passes over a larger pulley 6, having a hub or collar 7 secured to one end portion of an outer tube or elongated cylinder 8, by means of a set screw 17 (FIG. 2) or by other securing means. Located concentrically Within the outer tube 8 is an inner tube 9, which is stationary or non-rotative, as distinguished from the outer tube 8 which is rotative by means of the belt drive 5 or by some other equivalent drivingl mechanism. The inner stationary tube 9 has one end supported in a nipple 11 firmly held in a clamp 10 secured to a wall of the casing or housing 1 or otherwise rigidly mounted. Connected to the nipple 11 is a conduit 12, which may be a flexible tube or hose extending fromra source of water or other required fluid under pressure, causing a ow of the fluid through the inner tube 9.

Extending for the greater portion'of the length of the inner tube 9 is a relatively Wide, long, longitudinallyextending, straight slot 16 constituting alluid outlet. The inner tube 9 may be closed at its forward end, or that end may be closed by a cap 14 welded or otherwise firmly secured at the free end of the outer tube 8. Interposed between the inner and outer tubes is a suitable packing material 15, which can be composed of felt, of rubber, nylon, plastic or other suitable material, maintaining the two tubes 8 and 9 in concentrically-spaced relation and facilitating the rotative movement of the outer tube 8 around the non-rotative or stationary inner tube 9. The packing material 15 is preferably anchored on or attached to the inner tube 9 by any suitable means so that it forms an attached facing on the inner tube and it will not be displaced by the rotative movement of the outer tube 8 around it. Itis to be noted that the packing material 15 extends co-extensively with the inner tube and thus does not obstruct or extend over any portion of the slot 16 provided in the inner tube. For example, in the embodiment shown, the packing material extends around approximately 300 of the circumference of the inner tube, while the remaining 60, comprising the slotted portion, is uncovered.

Provided in the outer tube 8 is a series of holes 13 located in a line or row extending spirally or helically around the tube 8, making one complete spiral over` the.

length of the tube. As an alternative for the line of holes disclosed, a continuous, spirally-arranged slot might be employed. Also, while the holes are shown as being of substantially uniform diameter, they may, for certain purposes, be varied in diameter. In addition, while a single line of holes is disclosed, a number of separate lines of the holes, arranged spirally, might be used. It is essential, however, that these holes 13 or other openings in the outer tube, and through which the uid emerges, be provided spirally in the cylinder, since this spiral arrangement of the ports converts the liow from rotational to transitional. Also, while we have herein suggested that the holes 13 be arranged so as to extend in one complete spiral around the outer tube 8, the spiral arrangement might be such as to provide several turns around the tube.

From the foregoing, the operation of the device will be readily understood. Fluid is introduced into the stationary inner tube 9 through the conduit 12 and nipple 11. The outer tube 8 is rotated by the drive means shown, or by some other equivalent means, for imparting rotative movement to it. It is rotated at a speed which will give the most satisfactory results according to uid velocities,

pressure, passage sizes, the height of the spraying tube from the surface to be sprayed, the pitch of the spiral openings in the outer tube and other factors.

VWhen the device is in operation, a stream of fluid will flow from slot 16 in the inner tube and through the holes 13 in the outer tube and onto the surface, situated below the spraying device in position to receive the flow. The stream of uid emerging from the device will progressively cover the entire surface to be treated, this result being attained -by the progressive registry of the holes 13 with slot 16 as the outer tube 8 is rotated around the inner tube 9. The result of a ow from the device as above pointed out, provides an even, intermittent action necessary for eilicient action, particularly in connection with areas which are non-circular in outl-ine.

While I have herein suggested that the disclosed apparatus shall be used forV a cooling tower, it will be apparent that it may be used in various other environments wherein a ow or emergence of a fluid from a spraying tube is required. Also, while I have shown and described one of these devices, it will be apparent that they may be arranged in groups or distributed as required over the surface to be wetted.

In spraying devices of this character the problem of preventing clogging of the outlet holes is often encountered. In the structure shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, means is provided by which the holes 13 provided in the outer tube can be cleaned out by the rotative movement of the inner tube around a compressible or ileXible packing material such as is shown at 21. In this embodiment of the invention, the -inner tube 19 is made of springy material, tending to spring outwardly or Hatten itself, and by such action, as well as by the pressure of iluid which passes through it, tending to urge the packing material 21 in a direction toward the inner surface of the outer tube 8. The packing material 21 which can be made of nylon, of one of many plastics, of rubber or of some equivalent exible material, is formed with a plurality of radiallyextending, flexible iingers 22 of a size to enable them to pass into, partially, or completely through the holes 13 and by such passage, clean out the holes. The entry of the fingers into the holes 13 will occur during the rotative movement of the outer tube 8 around the springy and stationary inner tube 19. 'Ihe laterally-extended ends or anges 20 provided onthe inner tube 19' engage the edges. of the packing material 21 and prevent its displacement by the rotative movement of the outer tube 8 around it. The packing material 21 may be otherwise attached to the inner tube 19 so that it will remain stationary therewith as the outer tube is rotated.

Having described a single embodiment of the invention, it is obvious that the same is not to be restricted thereto, but is broad enough to cover all structures coming withing the scope of the annexed claims.

What I claim is:

1. A spraying device having a stationary inner tube provided in its bottom area with a lengthy, longitudinallyextending slot, a packing material extending about the inner tube and covering the same but exposing the slot, an outer tube tted around the packing material, the outer tube being provided with at least one row of perforations arranged in a spiral line extending for the greater part of the length of said outer tube, means secured to said inner tube for non-rotatively supporting the inner tube to cause said liquid to be Kforced through the slot and through the perforations, means for supplying a flow of Huid into the inner tube, means @for continuously rotatively moving the outer tube around the packing niaterial, and means for closing one end of both tubes.

2. A spraying device of the character described comprising a stationary, slotted inner tube, means secured to said inner tube for non-rotatively supporting said tube at one end, a fluid-supply conduit connected to said end of' the tube for supplying liquid into the tube, an outer tube arranged around the inner tube, the outer tube having apertures spirally-disposed in its wall, means at one end of the outer tube for rotatively moving itcontinuously around the inner tube, closure means at the opposite end of the outer tube for closing said end as well as closing the end of the inner tube, and a packing interposed between both tubes, said packing being positioned to avoid obstruction of the slot in the inner tube.

3. A spraying device of the character described comprising an outer tube provided with a longitudinally-extending line of apertures arranged spiral-ly in its wall, said apertures consisting of a spiral line of independent perforations, an inner tube of springyk material slotted lengthwise and tending to spread due to its resilience and under iluid pressure, a soft compressible material interposed between the two tubes and shaped to cause exposure of the slot in the inner tube, said material being provided with a plurality of flexible fingers directed toward the inside face of the outer tube whereby continuous rotative movement of the outer tube around the inner tube and around the compressible material will cause entry of some of the fingersv into the perforations in the outer tube to thereby clean out said perforations.

4. In a spraying` device as provided for in claim 3, wherein the inner t-ube has thek edges of its slot defined by laterally-directed flanges engaging against the edges of the compressible material toY restrain said material against rotative shift around the inner tube.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Matheny June 17, 1958 

